Field of the Invention
The invention relates to systems and methods for wirelessly tracking, managing, and controlling assets; automating allocations; and facilitating cooperative networks of businesses.
Background of the Invention
Allocating and managing/using allocations in business operations of all kinds has historically involved a mix of manual and automated processes: workers in production plants, hospitals, law offices, and the like manually allocate time (time on site, labor time by project/customer, etc.), manually allocate use of assets/resources (locations, machinery, vehicles, etc.), and manually allocate expenses. The manual time and expense allocations are vital for the business systems that take care of payroll, customer billing, maintenance, and so on. These downstream processes are where the bulk of automation exists in existing systems, but manual elements are involved to some extent in all of them, and the upstream allocation processes are almost exclusively manual in nature.
Some existing systems may allow for automatic allocations, but only in a very limited sense. The automation in these existing systems is applied only in strictly-defined situations and must be set up with a manual process. Increasing the automation of allocations without sacrificing accuracy is highly desirable in that manual allocations take time away from more essential functions and are subject to intentional and unintentional omissions, data entry errors, mistakes related to poor judgment, and poor recollection. Operations of all sizes must deal with these problems, and larger and more complex operations are subject to larger and more complex errors, which frequently are addressed by adding layers of control/management, each with its own share of manual allocation processes and their accompanying problems and inefficiencies.
In view of the foregoing, what are needed systems and methods to more effectively track, manage, and control assets. Ideally, such systems and methods will enable various types of allocations (e.g., time, use, expenses) to be automated.